Dear Career Sensei

It's not harassment if I'm just looking 

A male colleague has been making unwarranted sexual advances towards me and it has started to cause me discomfort and affect my performance negatively.

He hasn’t come outright to say anything to me or even lay a finger on me but he’s fond of throwing sexual innuendos my way under the guise of paying me compliments or cracking vulgar ‘jokes’ whenever we are the only ones in the cubicle.

I want to report him to HR but I don’t have any concrete evidence as it is very subtle and he only does it whenever we are alone so its hard to make a case.

Your wise counsel would be very much appreciated.

Sad Lass

Hello Sad Lass,

What your colleague is doing is sexual harrassment a very grave offence and it is your employers duty to protect you from it.

He doesn't have to be obvious or make these advances towards you in the presence of others in order for you to make a case against him as long as you are uncomfortable and his conduct unreasonably affects your performance you should report him to HR.

Your employer has the mandate to ensure that you work within a safe environment and would be held liable and may face court ordered penalties if you decide to take it up and they are found guilty of neglecting to stop or prevent it.

Don't wait another minute or endure his harrassment for even an extra second, go straight to Human Resources and if HR fails to call him to order or put a stop to it, get a lawyer.

All the best,

The Career Sensei

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